Night Owls (for those awake late and can't sleep)

[Croix]

Dear All
The purpose of this thread is as a meeting point for those that can’t sleep and it is late (I.E. AFTER midnight.)

It can be a useful space for users to share their issues with insomnia as well as coping strategies. It can also be a general space for users to converse and support one another throughout a difficult night.

Please note – for those that are just bored or lonely we already have a place - the BB Café, which I recommend instead of here

https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/online-forums/bb-social-zone/the-bb-cafe

Croix

[quirkywords]

Hi mblover,

i am sorry you have weird dreams, are they scary or just weird because they make no sense.

How do your dreams make you feel lost from reality.

My disturbing dreams are real in one way but strange things happen.

[Guest_4643]

Hey quirky. Sorry I didn't elaborate.

I do have nightmares yes, also flashback dreams, and ones that are just plain weird and don't make sense. Even if I don't think about stuff that has happened to me or others and scary stuff, it still happens.

I mean I think "has that happened? will it happen? will it happen to me, someone else?", stuff like that. Like I'm not sure if it's real or not. Hard to explain.

[quirkywords]

Mblover

I can relate. I often don’t know if I dreamt something or it really happened. It can be a bit scary.
Do you ever have emotions from a dream that last for hours after you wake up.

[Croix]

Dear Quirky and mb20lover~

I find that if I just lie there the dream and the mood merge with my waking feelings, not with a good result.

For a long time I used a notebook and wrote down what I'd dreamed, however there were practical difficulties as it tended to wake Mrs C (plus Sumo Cat of course), something I did not want. So I'd quietly get up and write in the kitchen. I kept a torch by the bed to see by -still do- to get to the kitchen wihtout a big light.

After a while I found a lot of relief was coming just from getting up, physical activity, then having a cuppa and then thinking about what the nightmare was about. I'd still remember at least some, but the potency had diminished and I'd be able to say to myself, "Ah, that's another one about x," where x was a particular matter.

The getting up does not help sleepwise, but that is preferable to being in a state lying in bed, reliving the mood.

Often I'd wake having the nightmare due to back pain caused by my moving when dreaming, not an ideal arrangement, but did tend to cut the nightmare short. Swings and roundabouts I guess.

Croix

[ecomama]

Hey everyone

Had a nap tonight when I got home from work, now I'm up waiting for the kids to come home from work lol.

Dreams are strange things aren't they?

Croix yes when there's pain I can dream the pain into my dreams if that makes sense?
lol.

I did some "dream training" in meditation workshops in Canberra decades ago and can usually wake myself up from nightmares. Yep get a cuppa and destress.

Hey Tay and quirky, I've had dreams I've never wanted to wake up from and WANT to keep that gorgeous feeling for as long as possible.

The premonition type dreams, come as a forewarning to major events. SO WEIRD and I can remember almost every detail of those ones even 25y later. The last ones were before and ruing the Court stuff guiding me on what to do. Stuff not even my Lawyers or Barristers thought of, nor I.

But recurring dreams since childhood are the most fascinating ones... some were totally horrible and I had to resolve to stop those ones.

Others made me more inquisitive to find out more lol... like one I've been having for over 50y.
I live in a house and my kids were in it before they were even born.
Even their partners and my grandkids too!

It has waterviews and at first it had lots of old furniture.
I'm usually always doing housework lol!
Then over the years, the house in my dreams improved, changed alot.
The garden "got smaller", more stuff in it.

I know it's the same house as the waterviews are exactly the sameinmy dreams.

THEN just about a month ago I realised that it was THIS house.
The house in my dreams had louvre windows - we're putting them in now.
More and more timber was visible in my dream - we've ripped up ALL the carpet now, the last of it this Summer and the timber floor boards are all throughout the house now.
The old furniture was replaced by less, more expensive stuff - that began to happen last year!
I got all new appliances.

The kids and grandkids are around.
The garden WILL be less due to me building a cabin in the future.

I had one "house" dream 5y ago, same house.
My new BF at the time came to live with me.
He was SO MUCH older in my dream, I barely recognised him & I couldn't recognise my older self in the mirror, but adults were calling me "mum" - my kids were grown up.

That would be nice! lol

Love EM

[Emo]

Hi Ecomama,

I hope you are feeling a bit better after your recent illness. I find dreams interesting so it was really mind blowing hearing about your dream about your house. It's amazing that you now seem to have your 'dream house'.

I have been working on imagining the life I would like to live, like you suggested and although I'm not game to write anything down in case it's found, I have been trying to store my thoughts in my mind. It's really very hard to imagine a life different than I have but I'm trying.

I thought I'd also see if anyone else was up as I've had a pretty bad day. I found a dream job online which I would love to apply for but I'm banned from doing that. I probably wouldn't get it anyway. I can't believe how quickly I've lost confidence in my abilities. I've also had a very bad fall today so I'm in a fair bit of pain. I just keep hoping that things will improve but when things like this happen my hope seems to dwindle.

I'm trying to hold onto my one last dream of becoming a counsellor or psychologist one day but I'm not sure what course I need to do. I was wondering Ecomama if you happen to know the name of the course your daughter Alexa is doing to become a psychologist?

I would appreciate any help or suggestions you can provide. I know the course would probably go for a few years so I was hoping that I could start it this year. It's my last dream of a bright future and a chance to give back by helping others. Thank you.

Regards,

Emo.

[Guest_4643]

Hi all, thanks for your replies. Sorry I didn't reply earlier. I'm sorry you've all dealt with stuff like that amongst other things too. Sorry for my blunt replies, I'm just not feeling the best mentally and physically

[Matchy69]

I had some really terrible nightmares last night and they kept waking me up.They seem so real and now I feel scared from them and are going to be so tired today.

[Guest_4643]

Hey Mark, I'm sorry to hear that, I hope you're ok. That happens to me often.

[ecomama]

Dearest Emo, lots of love and HUGE HUGS!!!

I'm not sure if you realise too much but I was virtually in an extremely similar situation to you.
Suffocatingly trapped.
"Not allowed" to do anything.
Absolutely banned from getting a job, for like 10 years (I did earn money via working but when he wasn't home).

We were living hand to mouth and I just decided I'd had enough.
Did some casual work then a month later was offered 2 difft 6 month contracts at 2 different places, I took one, then 3 weeks into that appointment I was offered permanent.

demon made this time hell - as you'd know. it made ALL times hell.

But as you have too, the parts of my mind he COULDN'T access were the dreams of my future.
Peace.
A garden.
Calm.
On repeat! Like a mantra. In fact he heard me saying my mantras in my sleep and said what he had to say about that too.

I didn't want much but wanted those things in my life.

YOU WILL GET WHAT YOU WANT Emo.
I am 100% certain of it.

I reckon you'll get far more wonderful things than you even dare to imagine.

I'll ask Alexa exactly what Courses she studied and let you know. At the moment she's about to begin her Honours in Psychology (again). Her ex partner smashed all hopes of her first attempt last year.
She's well and truly ended that r/ship now.

Starting again this year.

Being in another State, you may have to find out about what's offered there though.
Mainly bec you may have to attend exams at an appointed PLACE they designate for that purpose. Alexa's first Degree's exams were held at our local University even though she wasn't studying through THAT Uni.

I'll find out more for you anyway.

Peace, calm and fortitude Emo.
Love EM